I need to be honest–we struggled designing our closet. I think we always assumed once we had squared off corners in an open space (something we did during our bathroom renovation), it would just be easy and everything would come together. But then it didn’t. It could be that my brain from a lot of other design decisions, but we probably designed it 7 times before we stopped trying to fill up every wall with closet organizers and decided on a galley layout, with a system (we are going to go with the PAX from IKEA) on each side and a large floor mirror on the back wall.
We’re spending a pretty penny on the bathroom renovation, so we really wanted to balance that by going a more budget route for the closet so we can still come in under budget on the whole thing–which is why we ended up with the IKEA Pax system. We used them in the girls’ room and absolutely love how customizable they are for a great price. But before we get into that, here are some IKEA PAX inspiration photos I dug up.
All of these inspiration photos gave me great ideas of how all the different organizational options can be configured. But ultimately, we had to make a list of what we needed. I don’t have grand shoes or bags I want to display (quite the opposite for the most part), or tons of jewelry. I hang almost all of my tops, but prefer to fold my pants and Chris is almost completely the opposite.
Here’s what our closet looks like now. Which does it terrible justice because it’s so much better than it was before aesthetically. It’s squared off now, has a nice, wide opening and has beautiful heated marble floors, but living off of clothing racks and gorilla shelves is kind of taking it down a notch (haha). We’re so ready to get this place organized.
The dimensions of our closet are 7’11” (aross the back wall) x 6′ 7 1/4″ (on either side). Here’s what we came up with.
Like I mentioned in the beginning, we tried so many different configurations to try and utilize every wall, but in the end, it seemed like our storage was maximized by doing a galley style. This leaves about 46 inches of walking space down the center and we’ll be able to hang a good sized mirror on the wall in here, which is a nice perk.
My side is the right side. We have 8 ft ceilings and went with the taller 92ish” Pax Wardobes. In the first section (far right, in the front) I imagine folded jeans and lots of drawers for workout clothes, sweats, underwear, etc. On the very bottom of our whole system we put in pull out trays for shoes.
In the middle section, I separated two hanging rods with a large drawer for tops I prefer folding, like some of my t-shirts and sweaters. To fit this, I had to bring the top rod almost to the top of the wardrobe. I’m tall (6′), and I’ve tested my reach, but I’m still a little concerned if this will be convenient in the long run.
If I flip the image, you’ll see my last compartment which is for longer dresses. I also included a storage bin for more seasonal things, like swimsuits, and two pull-out shoe racks (although I think I’ll make one a shelf just so if I don’t need all the shoe storage it can be used for something else, too).
Over on Chris’s side, he has alllll the built-in pants’ hangers. I’m actually a little jealous. I tried to fit at least one rack in on my side, but I had trouble squeezing it in anywhere. He also opted for more storage up top, one hanging rod and ample drawer storage for all of his t-shirts.
If you flip the image, you’ll see we added two hampers right in our closet and an extra hanging rod (probably for me). This section is kind of our trial section. We could put a pretty lidded basket in the corner of our room for laundry if Chris finds he needs more drawers or I just really want some pants hangers after all. But I love the idea of having two hampers, for lights and darks, right here.
I imagine we’ll put a rug under foot in here. And I just ordered this pretty pleated light (on crazy sale!). But there’s still one thing we’re still undecided about–do we want glass doors on the wardrobes? There’s no door leading into the closet. The pro would be it keeps everything looking orderly. The con could be that it gets cumbersome to access clothes.
We are going to noodle on this plan for a good week before making the drive to pick it up to make sure we still feel good about it, but we’re so anxious to get it installed! What do you think? Do you have a Pax system?
You might not be pleased with my response: I would never put a hamper for dirty clothes in a closet where clean clothes are, do you wipe the bottoms of your shoes before wearing them into the bedroom and storing them in the closet (I use clorex wipes), are you sure that you have enough hanging space?
How have you found this layout now you’ve lived with it for a few years? Would you change anything or do something differently?
It’s perfect!
How did you install the shoe shelves into your Ikea Pax wardrobe?
Reading your article has caused an epiphany! Thank you. Our walk-in is only 81” deep and 87” wide, but I too have been driving myself mad trying to use that Pax designer to use every single inch of wall space (and the most effect hack to use the inside corners) But you have just clarified my thinking – a galley closet with double height rods to the back wall and pax drawer and shelving options on either side…and the sides don’t have to mirror image each other.. Easy just have to figure out which widths of wardrobe frames make the most sense for the depth we have and the length of double rod…
I am designing our pax wardrobe. Been at it on and off for days. Old house small rooms and closets. I actually have to build it in one of our bedrooms.. I keep seeing comments about doors and now I cannot decide if they will be a pain or not. It’s not like a closet and will be seen. They seem to be pretty enough to have no doors but I hate the cluttered look and think doors would look “clean”.
Do you have a photo of your after closet when it was completed and done!? I’d love to see the design.